Forget Dancing on Ice and The Greatest Dancer – the big news on the dancefloor this spring is a Ballroom Glitz contest taking place in Leicester.
Some of the region’s top business people have signed up for the charity competition which will see weeks of blister-inducing training culminate in a black tie dance-off at the King Power Stadium – home of Leicester City FC – on April 2.
Dancers have all been invited to raise a minimum of £500 and along with sponsorship deals and table sales on the night, the event should raise upwards of £50,000 for the county’s Loros hospice and Hope Against Cancer charities.
Among those taking part are father and daughter team Martin and Laura Betts.
Laura, 33, said: “As fundraising manager for Loros, there seemed little chance that I would escape from signing up.
“However, out of all the fundraising activities that I get involved in, this is by far the most daunting and furthest from my comfort zone.
“Every day at Loros I get to see the incredible difference we make to the lives of people who are living with cancer and other terminal diseases.
“It’s shaped me as a person and I’ve learned more about compassion, kindness and empathy in the seven years that I’ve been here than most people learn in a lifetime.”
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Dad Martin, 58, is chairman of both The Fleet Auction Group, in Coalville, and fleet management and leasing specialist Marcol, which is based near Loughborough.
He said he felt the full force of cancer when his father was diagnosed with bowel cancer 18 years ago. The family received the news while on holiday.
He said: “I remember us all having this overwhelming sense of how short and fragile life could be and why it was so important to make the most of the time that we had – needless to say that was a holiday none of us will ever forget – not just because of the devastating news we received, but because it was the catalyst that inspired us to make a decision that would ultimately mean we would spend considerably more quality time together as a family.”
Other dancers have signed up from firms including Howes Percival, NatWest, East Midlands Chamber and Santander.
Event sponsors include Gateley Legal, Cambridge and Counties Bank, Mattioli Woods and Quilter Cheviot.
Fiona Debney, legal director at Gateley Legal in Leicester, came up with the idea of putting members of the business community through their paces.
She said “We have made sure that no-one taking part is a dancer – everyone is starting from scratch.
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“The couples are being given eight weeks of dance training before each of them will perform a routine on the night.
“The choice is either a waltz or a jive because they are a bit easier to learn, and it also makes the group training easier.
“Everyone is in the “Oh my God, what have I done” phase.
“There are three professional judges and a professional compere and the audience will be invited to vote on their favourites.
“I don’t we will be quite up to Strictly Come Dancing standard, but it will still be a high standard.
“If it’s successful we’d like to roll it out in other locations.”
Tables for Ballroom Glitz re now sold out.
The night is being held in partnership with Derbyshire-based Ultra Events which has raised more than £20 million for Cancer Research 海角视频 since it was founded by former fitness trainer Jon Leonard in 2009.
Jon said: “We are so pleased to bring this event to Leicestershire. It’s really encouraging to see the number of people that have signed up so far.
“Each of them is helping us to beat cancer and will really help save lives.”